


And you waltz back into the breach

by LittleLinor



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Ensemble Cast, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-09 21:59:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4365716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleLinor/pseuds/LittleLinor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been two years since Yuuma lost his partner, and the last thing he expected was to set foot in a Jaeger again.</p>
<p>Zexal/Pacific Rim crossover</p>
            </blockquote>





	And you waltz back into the breach

**Author's Note:**

> And here's my third entry for the ship olympics!  
> Somehow I managed to make foilshipping cute.
> 
> Warnings for character death (like, in the five first lines), violence in general, implied/referenced child abuse, in-character triggering, and suicidal themes. No, I promise this fic is about hope.
> 
> Since direct plot translation is boring, there's a bunch of themes/plotlines in there that aren't present in pacific rim itself, I hope you enjoy them!

One of the last things you remember is the moment of absolute terror when Astral's intentions finally reached your brain, _after_ your body moved on its own through his grip on the neural handshake, the moment when his fierce, triumphant determination bled through the link just before the impact hit him and crippling pain washed through you, burning everything in its wake.  
(The actual last thing you remember is collapsing in shallow water and the Jaeger with you, but it feels empty and surreal, drowned out by the fear of those last shared moments, the blur of fighting alone, mad with pain and grief and anger, anger at them both, for taking away what you loved most, for abandoning you)  
You woke up in a military hospital, and once you stepped out of it, you never set foot in another of their facilities again.

It's the summer of 2023, and if anyone asked you, you love your job.  
But it would be easier to do if Ryouga Kamishiro wasn't standing in the room freaking out the kids.  
"Yuumaaaaa," one of them pouts, half whine, half scared whisper when you go help her put her coat on, "he's _scary_."  
"Don't worry about him," you whisper back with a conspiratory smile, "he's not dangerous. Just a dumb butt who doesn't remember how to smile."  
She giggles at the _shocking_ wording and smiles back.  
"So why did he forget?"  
"Because he spent too long telling people like me to eat their vegetables. Go on, now," you add, patting her on the shoulder. "Don't want to make your grandmother wait, do you?"  
She gives the determined nod of a kid on a _mission_ and hops away, flashing Kamishiro a bright smile as she goes.  
He doesn't smile back, though he does try to answer her with an awkward nod. You wonder if he's forgotten that he used to work with kids, too.  
Or maybe it's because he hasn't forgotten that he can't bring himself to smile anymore.

"When they told me you'd found a day job, this isn't where I expected to find you," he points out when the last kids and parents have walked out and you've come back to the room to start cleaning.  
"Yeah, ironic, isn't it?" You hadn't said it with any intent to harm, but you still feel a bit of vindictive satisfaction when he averts his eyes for a fraction of second. You pick up a fallen pencil and continue. "I'm not too good at other jobs. Too nervous to stay in place, too dumb for an office job, and can't handle factory loud noises. But at least I'm good with kids." You smile, the strange calm they bring you blanketing even the nervousness his presence brings. "They deserve to grow up without fear or loss. But since they can't get that, I can try to make them smile a bit at least. And hey, everyone always said I was an overgrown kid, even at the academy."  
There's a pause, and since he doesn't answer or try to actually make himself useful by helping, you shrug and go back to tidying. Pushing chairs into place, putting toys back into their boxes, stacking papers.  
"Wouldn't you prefer protecting them instead?" he finally asks.  
You freeze, and for once you _are_ angry. You haven't let yourself be angry in a long time.  
It's a good thing you'd picked up the broom already, because it gives you something to grip to avoid raising your voice.  
"What, like I was doing two years ago?" you snort. He doesn't answer, and you give up and turn to face him, skin tingling in anger. "Because I did _such_ a good job of it, right? _Protecting_." He holds your gaze. You laugh, just a voiceless, humourless burst of it because you can't _believe_ that's what he's here for. Or well, no, you can believe it. Since when did the higher ups have any morals anyway. "I've had enough _protection_ , Marshal. Or should I just call you Kamishiro now? I'm not part of the army anymore."  
The side of his face twists into a slight grimace ( _good_ ) but he doesn't look away for long.  
"Look, Tsukumo, I'm sorry about--"  
"Don't. Don't say his name. He's _gone_. Being sorry isn't gonna change it." Even if the ghost imprint of the drift has him inhabit your dreams, your paranoia, sometimes even your personal space when you get assaulted by what your therapist called ptsd, like his hands are on your shoulders again, his voice telling you to calm down. It'd work better if half the moments of panic weren't related to him to start with.  
You feel drained, all of a sudden. Your grip on the broom does more to hold you upright and stop your tears than it does to stop you from shouting, now.  
"... why do you even want me back, anyway? I fucked up. I'm the proof the experiment was a failure. You don't want a liability like me on the battlefield."  
"... you're aware we've started to lose pilots, yes?"  
You snort and he amends his statement.  
"More of them. You two were the first, but it's been going downhill. We're losing pilots and jaegers both, and the Kaiju aren't just coming more often--I'm sure you've noticed. They're getting bigger. And they're learning our tactics."  
"So you're down to calling back retired pilots?"  
"It's more complicated than that." He looks around, like he's worried someone will be watching, but the only humans around are the both of you, and then the faint noise of the street filtering through the closed door. "... they're putting us out of commission. Little by little. They stopped making new Jaegers already, they're not replacing the ones that fall. And they think they can stop the Kaiju with a _wall_." He rolls his eyes, shrugs his shoulders angrily in a way you remember him doing when he was younger, in your first days at the Academy, before the stress and responsibility got to him. "You've heard about it, right? Even if you don't watch the news, it's everywhere. Those idiots have never been near a Kaiju. A wall wouldn't hold back the ones coming out now, and it won't be better than a house of cards if they keep getting bigger."  
The implications run through your head, piecing themselves together.  
"... if they keep getting bigger, we can't keep up with Jaegers either. We can only build them so fast."  
"Exactly." He looks you in the eye. "I'm not calling you back to keep fighting a losing battle. We need to strike at the root. Before it's too late and we're out of options." He pauses, and looks away slightly. "... you two were our best. You think the experiment failed, but as fucked up as it was, it actually worked. It worked _too_ well. You were brilliant. Both of you. And the rookies they get through the Academy these days don't stand up to the task."  
You stay silent. Neither of you wants to hear what you really think.  
"... we pulled the Emperor out of the graveyard. It's almost completely fixed."  
"You _what?_ "  
"Do you think I have official authorisation for this?" So that's why he came to you discreetely and in person. "They won't let us build any new units. Scavenging's the best I could do. And it's a fine Jaeger. And _you_ know it best." He pushes himself from the wall and stands closer to you. "I need you, Tsukumo. I gathered the best of our rookies, but I need someone with actual combat experience, and you were always the best at _feeling_ the Kaiju's intentions. Like you communicated with them. I'll find you a decent partner, but it needs to be you."  
You let it all sink in.  
The very idea of a _decent partner_ is laughable (how do they expect you to adapt, when they were the ones who decided to raise their soldiers into complete fusional harmony, even outside the drift?), but you don't want to leave the Emperor into the hands of just anyone. And maybe you going out there will save another hopeful young soldier a painful death.  
And besides... if the battle is already being lost, you can't just hide behind your kids while waiting for the next Kaiju to kill them. You have to protect them, after they protected you from yourself.  
"... a crazy gamble with a middle finger to authority to boot? What could go wrong?" You smile, somehow, the way Astral would have when _you_ were the one to come up with a crazy plan. "I'm in."

It takes a week to make arrangements. Explain to the parents--and more importantly, the kids--where you're going, and not to worry, you're _totally_ gonna kick their ugly Kaiju asses and send them packing home, have Kamishiro do the paperwork (he owes you), call Cathy to take over for a while since she's helped before and knows the kids well already. Pack your bags. Take the flight to Tokyo.  
The sun is blinding when you land, and stepping out the helicopter has you blinking for several seconds as your eyes try to adjust.  
When you look back ahead, there's a guy standing in front of you, expression just on the critical side of bored.  
He looks you up and down.  
"Did they film you from underneath to make you look taller in those propaganda shots or something?"  
Kamishiro's tongue clicks in irritation as he steps in behind you.  
" _Vector._ "  
He grins, the light in his eyes more a smirk than a smile, and salutes, just a bit too slowly to be correct.  
"My apologies. _Major._. Ranger." A slight nod towards you, like he's still judging you.  
He's not even taller than you.  
Kamishiro sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.  
"That's enough. Tsukumo, this is Vector Shingetsu. He's my son--sort of."  
"You had a _son_?" He looks nothing like him, bright orange hair and piercing purple eyes, and more to the point, maybe, if the rumours at the Academy were to be believed, the only _woman_ he'd ever cared about was his sister. So how did he have a son?  
"I'm adopted," Vector chimes in helpfully.  
"It's a long story," Kamishiro says, cutting the conversation short. "Vector, show him around, will you? I need to take the reins back--looks like I've been gone for too long already," he adds with a glare towards Vector.  
"Yes sir~"

Somehow, after an hour of following Vector around, you feel like you know him even less than you did before.  
With Kamishiro he was cheeky to the point of irreverence. With other officers he's blunt and to the point, his movements precise and just a bit too agile and artistic for outright military stiffness. With the tech crew he's almost _crass_.  
And he knows everyone. Remembers names, passes you gossip in the lightest, cutest, most casual voice ever after you walk past someone, can show up in any group and have them instantly acknowledge his presence.  
Not all of those acknowledgements are positive, though. A lot of them seem to eye him with distrust, if not outright distaste, and to your surprise, it's not the lower ranked groups he has this effect on the most.  
You wonder why he's letting you see this at all.  
Before you can think too hard about it, a familiar voice calls out.  
"Yuuma!"  
You turn just in time for a young man with long brown hair to throw himself at you, hugging you and spinning you around before finally putting you back down and punching your shoulder.  
"Oh my god it really _is_ you! I knew you'd come back!"  
"A-Alit. Hi."  
You try to regain your balance while he keeps chattering.  
"Gilag didn't think you'd come, said the Major'd never get you to change your mind, but since when do _you_ run from a good fight? Hey Gilag!" he shouts back at the taller man walking towards you. "You owe me two thousand!"  
By then Vector is rolling his eyes at Alit's display, and you've recovered from the shock enough to smile back at your old friends.  
"Gilag! Long time no see! You guys still co-pilots then?"  
"Of course." He reaches down to hug you, thankfully less energetic about it than Alit (although you think you hear your bones creak a little). "It's good to see you, Yuuma."  
"We missed you, Man."  
"Thanks..."  
"Oh yeah, did they show you the Emperor yet? They're almost done with renovations, he looks as good as new."  
"Not yet--"  
"I was _just_ ," Vector interrupts, "about to show him."  
"No need to get all pissy," Alit huffs, and you're about to stand between them to avoid a bloodbath when Alit grabs your arm and pulls you towards the door. "Let's all go, then!"

Your Jaeger stands almost as tall as the ceiling of the shutterdome, and looking at it for the first time in over two years, you suddenly feel very small.  
"So?" Alit calls. "As good as new, yeah? They put brand new engines and everything."  
You stay silent and stare up at it.  
It's like nothing has changed, its metal armor still shining white and gold, the helmet-like cockpit perfectly symmetrical.  
The last time you saw it, the helmet had been torn apart, dented and broken, and the inside sprayed in blood.  
You hide a shudder.  
"Nostalgic?" Vector asks with a slight drawl.  
"You could say that."  
"It looks better than those new ones," Gilag says. "All slimmed up like they want a model, not a warrior."  
"Hey, you can be slim _and_ strong," Alit points out.  
Gilag shrugs.  
"At least the Aurora's decent."  
You turn towards him.  
"Aurora?"  
"Thunder Aurora. The last one they got out before they cut production funds. Thomas and Mihael Arclight are piloting it."  
"... Arclight?" That rings-- "Do they have more siblings?"  
"If you're thinking about Christopher," Alit butts in with a knowing smile, "yep. They're his brothers. Went through the normal training, so they were greenlit. And speaking of which! I have a little surprise for you."  
You think you hear Vector whisper a sarcastic "yay!" as you're pulled away once more.

Thanks to Alit's comments, you'd kind of expected to see Chris Arclight.  
What you didn't expect was to find his old partner with him.  
"Kaito!"  
Kaito smiles across the room as you call out his name, and shakes your hand firmly when you reach him and barely resist pulling him into a hug.  
"Welcome to the team, Yuuma."  
"When did you two get there? I thought they dismantled the program--"  
"For active combat, yes," Chris cuts you off. "But why waste two brains like ours when we're already good at working together? We just enrolled as scientists instead."  
"Why didn't Kamishiro tell me you were th--"  
You catch sight of a little boy, staring at you from behind a table, his eyes barely above the top.  
"... hello?"  
He blinks in response.  
"This is Haruto," Kaito explains, extending his hand towards the boy, who nods and walks up to take it. Up close, you can see the resemblance, the piercing eyes. You smile at him.  
"Oh--your brother, right?" You offer him your hand too. "Nice to meet you, Haruto!"  
He takes it and nods, and for a second you almost feel like you're drifting again, before the feeling washes off and you're left blinking at him.  
Kaito frowns.  
"Did Kamishiro give you a schedule?" Chris asks, relieving the tension.  
"Oh--no, not yet. I think he wanted me to get used to the place again first. Vector's been showing me around." And speaking of Vector... you look around and find him leaned against the door frame, quietly arguing with Alit. ... could be worse. You turn your attention back to Chris and Kaito. "So, what are you guys up to?"  
"A lot of things," says Kaito. "We're trying to predict future Kaiju showings, to start with. It will be invaluable for defense, response time... as well as Kamishiro's little pet project."  
"... you don't believe in it?"  
"... I don't know. In theory it's a good idea, but... I feel like we're missing something."  
"Which brings us to our second biggest project," Chris butts in. "We're--" Kaito shifts, and he coughs before continuing, "studying the Kaiju themselves to try and figure out how they work. Might always learn something."  
You nod.  
"So why's Haruto here?"  
"Because I don't trust him anywhere else," Kaito cuts in, his tone refusing further discussion.  
You let him walk you through explanations of his work that you don't follow at all, then through the toned down version that you kind of sort of follow. Privately, you tell yourself that _both_ Kaito and Chris would be terrible with children, and it's all you can do not to laugh.  
Nearby, you catch sight of a slight smile on Haruto's face.

"So what's the plan?" Alit asks when Kamishiro finally joins you in the lab.  
"I rounded up our candidates for a test spar tomorrow," he says, looking you straight in the eye. "You've always been good at physical communication and fighting. If someone can work with you, we'll find them."  
"And if we don't?"  
"... worst comes to worst, I'll pilot with you myself."  
Though the mix of tense silence and shocked expressions, you see Vector's face harden.  
"Ah, well, I'm sure we'll find someone," Alit finally butts in with a smile. You take in a deep breath when the tension eases. "Yuuma's easy to get along with."  
Kaito gives a small snort. Unfortunately for him, you're just within range to elbow him in the ribs.  
It might have been more satisfying if he'd reacted at all.

The most welcome nostalgic encounter of the day turns out to be the last. When you reach the communication room, Kotori wastes no time before coming to hug you, and unlike the residual awkwardness that was still hiding under Alit and Kaito's attitudes, you feel nothing but openness from her.  
"I'm glad to see you again," she smiles into your shoulder.  
"Glad to see you too, Kotori." You pull back, smiling and taking in her appearance. She hasn't changed much, although you'd do without the slight lines around her eyes. Everyone grows up too fast here, you think.  
But she's still smiling, and full of elegant energy as ever, and seeing her finally makes you feel just a little at home.  
"How are you holding up?" she asks.  
"I've been worse."  
She raises an eyebrow.  
"That's not exactly a high standard, Yuuma."  
"Yeah, yeah, I know--but really. I'm okay. Taking a break did me good. You still the one shouting into our helmets?"  
"Keep acting like this and I _will_ shout."  
You laugh, and she swats the hand that was still on her shoulder away.  
“... we all missed you, you know. Between you leaving and the losses we started to take…”  
"... been pretty depressing, huh?"  
She nods.  
"... I don't think I'd have been very good at brightening the mood."  
"I know." She bites her lip. "Yuuma?"  
"Yeah?"  
"I didn't get to say it back then... but I'm sorry. About Astral. And I never blamed either of you."  
"That makes one of us, at least." She winces, and you smile to comfort her. "It's okay. I'm fine now. Mostly."  
"It's that 'mostly' I'm worried about, Yuuma. Don't let Kamishiro boss you around, okay?"  
"Well he _is_ the boss."  
"And you're important enough that he left the dome for over a week to get you. Trust me, you can negotiate." She pouts. "And if he won't, then _I_ 'll negotiate."  
You laugh.  
"May he rest in peace."

Despite your earlier reservations, you'd actually put some hope into the fighting selection process.  
By the end of the day, they've mostly evaporated to nothing.  
They can fight, definitely. But although some of them manage to catch up to the rhythm you set, none of them can escalate it, or slip into it without calculation. You feel like an instructor more than a partner.  
Despite your two years of peace, the difference in depth between the training you had and theirs is painfully obvious.  
(Or maybe it's just that you're too messed up to mesh with them, the more cynical part of your brain that's made its home with you in the last two years says. Maybe they're perfectly fine. Maybe you're just refusing to get into _their_ world)  
You grit your teeth and keep going. If you can _make_ a connection, it'll be worth it.  
At the end of the day, you're no closer than you started.  
"Anyone come to mind?" Kamishiro asks you once everybody clears out.  
"Not really. I mean, some of them were okay, but... if it's real compatibility you want, we're out of luck."  
He doesn't swear this time, but you still see the side of his face tense with a repressed twitch.  
"... you know, maybe it's time to break out some of the old methods."  
He eyes you for a few seconds, as if trying to read into your brain.  
"... what, the trust exercises?"  
"Not quite. But dancing might work. They're fighters, they know how to move their body." You smile. "Nothing to lose, right?"  
"Nothing more than an afternoon, no. It's worth a try. Vector!" he calls out, making you wince with his suddenly loud voice.  
Vector crosses the room from where he'd been reviewing his notes.  
"You wrote down the more promising ones like I asked you?"  
"Yep."  
"Then I want a list on my desk by tomorrow morning. Tsukumo here wants to try something."  
Vector gives you a look that almost makes you shift with discomfort, but doesn't comment.

The candidates they throw at you the next day might have been decent at fighting, but they _suck_ at dancing.  
It's in things like these that you see the real difference between these guys and the kids at the Academy. No rushed training, no matter how thorough, can recreate the complete conditioning you went through, the years of trust exercises, the hours spent moving to music until your partner could lead you blindfolded and have you respond to every cue.  
These kids can barely follow an opponent's flow, they're eons away from the kind of physical fusion you were trained for.  
You're being unfair, you remind yourself. If they're here, it's because they didn't already have a partner, never grew with someone close enough to be part of their own body. And you were the proof that kind of relationship wasn't as great as they thought, anyway.  
It doesn't solve the problem, though. None of them can step into your rhythm. And none of them know how to lead, when you try to match theirs. It's useless.  
After two hours, Kamishiro sighs and tells everyone to pack up.  
"We'll find something else."  
You hear a soft snort and a mumbled _finally!_ , and you look up to see Vector closing his notepad, rolling his eyes and running a hand through his hair.  
So that's who had been snickering earlier. You hadn't wanted to turn to avoid hurting any feelings, but you'd had your foot stepped on a couple of times.  
The room clears, Kamishiro steps past you with a sigh, and you're left alone with Vector’s barely concealed smirk.  
"I think you hurt the poor kid's feelings," you point out with a slight smile.  
"That 'kid' is older than you by two years, just so you know. Also, he sucked."  
"Can't blame you on that one," you sigh.  
"Well, it's not like they taught us this kind of stuff."  
"You went through the Academy?"  
"Yep. Had to follow in Daddy Ryouga's footsteps, you know."  
You raise an eyebrow.  
"Really."  
"Sort of. I have some scores to settle too."  
"With the Kaiju?"  
He stays silent.  
"... you weren't with us, though," you finally say, pointing out what had been at the back of your mind for the last few days.  
"Figured it out, didn't you?" He smirks. "That project was fucked up." A grin. "That _or_ I'm just too unstable and would have fucked up any partner. Maybe that's his reason."  
"You're here now."  
"I got better at acting."  
How much of _this_ is still acting, you wonder.  
"... how old are you anyway?"  
"Eighteen. Just cause they stopped training kids doesn't mean they gave up on conditioning us before we got too much independence. Something about former trainees having flawed priorities."  
The words twist in your throat (those exact words, heard through the daze of medicine and almost-unconsciousness and not really caring about life, and the pain stabs through your chest again, almost as vivid as it was two years ago, more vivid, even, now that you've pulled out of the dull disregard for your own life you were feeling then), and you look away, trying to figure out who you should be angriest at, trying to find the strength to be properly angry at all.  
You can't.  
"So when did you get in?" you finally ask, quietly.  
"A couple of months after you left. For _some reason_ , after Jaegers started losing, they got fewer volunteers." He smiles. "He wasn't too happy about it, but he knew I'd make his life hell if he refused."  
So the earliest they could get in was sixteen now. When you were sixteen, you'd just fought off your first Kaiju, the precious pet project of the Academy, the public darlings spearheading a fucked up experiment.  
You feel very tired.

After a failed attempt to reach Kotori's communicator, you find your way to Kaito's lab.  
To your dismay, he isn't there either, and it just hits you that maybe they're all working on something together while you're moping around when you spot something moving in the next room.  
It's Haruto, and he gives you a smile when you come in, looking up from his handheld video game.  
"Hey Haruto."  
He doesn't answer. You suddenly notice that he hadn't yesterday either. You come closer anyway, looking around you. There are drawings on the walls, in blacks and reds and dashes of blue, and they look like nothing you've ever seen before.  
"Those yours?"  
He nods, puts his game down and offers you his hand.  
His eyes are even more piercing than Kaito's, like they can see right through you, like they're saying a thousand things that you're just too dumb to hear. You hesitate for a second, then reach back and take his hand.  
It's like drifting again, and you almost choke at the feeling of his thoughts brushing yours.  
_Hello_ , Haruto's voice that isn't really one says.  
_Are we--_ the world seems almost frozen around you.  
_Drifting? Not quite. But it's close._ He smiles, more into your mind than anything. _Don't be mad at Kaito. He's worried and he thought he'd have more time before you came. So he's working extra hard...  
Me? What do I have to do with anything?  
Now you're here, the Major is going to need all the information he can have for his plan to work.  
So?  
If Kaito doesn't finish his project on time... I'm the only one who can give him that._  
You pause to try and piece together what he's said.  
_... what do you mean?  
I can talk to the Kaiju. I've done it before. They don't _ listen _to me, but I can see what they see... but that's why I can't talk anymore. Kaito... Kaito is trying to find a way to do it himself instead. So I won't have to._ There's an edge of sadness, now, and a lot of affection. _He's working really hard... I'm worried for him._  
You remember Kaito at the Academy, the way he had aggressively refused to talk about his father despite being the only kid who still had one, his constant drive to be better than anyone else.  
_... so does he hate me for getting there?  
No. You're his friend. But that's why he's so stressed._ There's a pause. His thoughts twirl around you, as if trying to gauge your personality. _Yuuma... I have a request.  
Yeah?  
If something happens to me... will you take care of Kaito?  
Wait what!?  
I want him to succeed... but if it can save everyone, I don't mind risking my life. But... I don't want Kaito to be alone. I know... you understand how it feels._  
You want to tell him that it feels cruel, most of all, that the pain of losing Astral is still bleeding inside your gut. But you don't need to. He knows.  
And you understand... this feeling of wanting to protect the world your loved ones live in.  
_... one condition.  
Yes?  
You better believe in him with everything you have, so he can finish on time. Promise?_  
He smiles.  
_Promise.  
Then I promise too.  
Thank you, Yuuma._

When you finally get back to your room, you realise that for your resentment and tiredness, there's something restless in your muscles, like they're still waiting for something.  
You hadn't danced with anyone in two years, you suddenly remember. And even alone--it's been rare, even if you've still been hiding in music when you get overwhelmed or upset.  
You miss it. Miss being carried, by trusted hands and the music both, feeling your feet move naturally with the sound running through your body.  
It's not like everything else doesn't remind you of those times already, anyway.  
You stand back up, plug your earphones into your player, and let the music seep into your bones.  
The track is electronic, something more _you_ than most of what you used to dance to, and within a few seconds you're already moving to it, the beat skipping from one joint to the other, coursing through your limbs, pulling on some muscles while others grind to a halt with each beat. It's easier like this, with no awkward attempts at following you with no connection, just you and the flow and time that melts away as your breath picks up, just slightly, caught in the heat of movement and music, deep but unstrained. You think you could cry from how good it feels--if you were sure it's not from sadness and nostalgia.  
There's a presence at your back, and you open your eyes, twirling on one foot to face it, a fluid transition from dancing stance to combat.  
It's Vector.  
You pull off one earphone and stare him down, more confused than angry.  
"D'you usually come into people's rooms without asking?"  
"I knocked and you didn't answer, but the light was on. And it wasn't locked." He raises an eyebrow. "I knew they made you do it at the Academy but I didn't think you were the kind to dance on your own. You do that a lot?"  
You sigh.  
"We--" stop yourself from cringing--"I used to do it a lot, back then. It calms me down."  
Vector looks at you with eyes that you think see too much in general.  
"You're better now than you were earlier with those idiots," he finally says.  
You snort.  
"What, because you think you can do better?" But before he can actually answer, you let your temper and impulse take over. "How about you try it, then?"  
"Me?"  
"Yeah. You can't be that bad." Not with the way his entire body language changes with every person he talks to.  
After a few moments of silent staring, he shrugs and moves forward. You give a half-grin (what were you even thinking) and go plug your player into the small sound system on your desk.

You haven't seen Vector fight. He wasn't in the group you sparred against for that first round of selection, instead staying at Kamishiro's side and taking notes with the most bored expression he could get away with, but from the way his eyes move when you take his hand, you think he might have had a chance of beating you.  
He's not moving with you quite yet, not in the way you're used to, two bodies moving as one, but he's reading your movements. Anticipating them, even.  
You tentatively break form and take one step back, still following the music. He catches on as soon as your muscles flex, and follows with a glare more appropriate for a battlefield than a dancefloor. But he follows, nonetheless, and presses closer, as if to feel your movements better.  
An idea strikes you.  
"You lead," you whisper in his ear, letting go of your stance as the music changes.  
He stares at you, his eyes challenging and judging, and you almost think he's going to refuse when his grip on your hand tightens and he pulls you closer, an arm sliding around your waist.  
You cry out a bit but catch your step just on time, and let the automated movements of your body match themselves to his.  
And it works. He doesn't have technique, that much is obvious, but he's already learned how you work, and he might be forceful but he's prompting instead of shoving, letting every movement flow from him to you through your joined hands.  
He makes you spin once, and catches you to stop you from twirling out of control, and for a second you forget to breathe.  
_Let go,_ you remind yourself. _Trust him_.  
You close your eyes.  
The hand on your waist pulls you closer.  
There's something almost angry and controlling in the way he moves you, but you find yourself slipping into it anyway. He's pulling your strings like a marionette, and you let him, following his lead with your whole body, feeling the fluidity of his own movements increase. He's slow, still, but there's intent, now, and you're not sure whether he's trying to prove he can do this, or prove you can't. He's challenging, for sure, but where you should maybe feel uncomfortable, all you do is let go of your inhibitions and lean into his touch more.  
And then you realise. He's been waiting for you to step out of rhythm, but not once has he tried to trip you.  
He spins you again, and you're trapped with your back against his chest, your arms crossed in front of you, your hands held tight in place.  
And you laugh.  
He startles and tenses, like you broke him out of a trance of his own, and lets go of your hands, taking a step back. You open your eyes and turn towards him, waving them in front of you as apology while your eyes get use to the light again.  
"Sorry, sorry--I got carried away--"  
He's glaring at you, and you're not sure whether he's hopeful or hurt or angry, but his chest is moving with deep, short breaths that hang between the two of you like a shield.  
"... you're pretty good?" you finally offer as an attempt to break the ice.  
He shakes his head and rolls his eyes.  
"I can't _believe_ you," he hisses before turning and leaving the room.

"...Tsukumo, I _believed_ the med team when they told me you were sane. Don't make me question their competence now."  
"What's so crazy about it? He's had the training, right? His scores are good too. It's worth a _try_."  
"I'm not risking the two of you on a 'try.' If we lose you and the Emperor, the plan's fucked." Before you can react to his slip, he continues. "We won't get second chances, Tsukumo." He shakes his head, a nervous twitch at the corner of his mouth. "He's not stable enough to drift."  
"Look, you can't protect him forever, he wants to fight too--"  
"It's _you_ I'm worried about."  
His tone is short and almost angry, and for once, it shuts you up.  
"Look," he finally says after calming himself down. "He's not a bad kid, and he's talented, but..." Another slight shake of his head. "I know him. You've seen how he is with people. I don't _blame_ him but he's a drift hazard. I don't know why he's taken such a liking to you, but..."  
"He has?"  
"What, you haven't _noticed_? You think he talks that openly to everybody?"  
"... I thought it was just his way of keeping me on my toes, to be honest."  
"They're not as different things as you think. He wouldn't bother letting you see." He shakes his head. "Listen. Toying with you openly? That's the best he can do. He's not going to trust you the way he needs to. And I don't want either of you to get hurt needlessly."  
He stares at you, waiting for you to step down, but you only take a slow breath and ask:  
"What if he doesn't need to?"  
"... what do you mean?"  
"What if I'm the one to trust him instead? I don't care _how_ he leads if he gets us there. I don't think he's going to hurt me." You grin. "You said he likes me, right?"  
He frowns.  
"You do remember what happened last time you trusted someone like that, don't you?"  
"Of course I remember. There's not a minute in which I don't remember. But _you_ 're the one who said we were the best." You look up at him, gathering all your determination into your eyes and face. "Major, this plan is a gamble to begin with. We won't get anywhere by being _careful_." He averts his eyes, and you know you've hit the right nerve, so you keep going. "Sometimes you just have to _try_. We have to give it our best shot. And I think he's my best shot right now."  
"... you're fucking crazy. Fine. I want the two of you ready tomorrow at two for a test. --actually, I'll notify him myself," he adds hurriedly. "Just bring yourself to the launch room."  
You try your hardest not to beam _too_ obviously.

You find him the next day already suited up, a rare frown on his face. The crew is already moving around and shouting orders and confirmations, so you go pick up your own suit and flash him a smile.  
"What the fuck are you thinking?"  
"Exactly what I told Kamishiro. You're the best fit I've seen. And you wanted to pilot, right?"  
He observes you silently as you slip the suit on, trying not to linger on the nostalgic feeling.  
"... whatever you see in there," he finally says, quiet enough that you're the only one to hear him, "if I sense even a hint of pity, I'll break you."  
You smile.  
"Don't worry. You're not the pathetic one of the lot."  
He snorts and strides towards the Jaeger's platform.  
"Are you sure about this?" Kotori asks you when you walk past her.  
"Yeah." You smile. "C'mon, trust me a little. We don't know if it'll work unless we try."  
She rolls her eyes.  
"This attitude is _exactly_ why I'm worried, Yuuma." She gives you a short hug before going to her post. "You better be right about this. Giving your all isn't always enough."  
"I'll be careful. Promise."

The helmets close over both your faces, and something like a mix of cold determination and bloody excitement slides over Vector's.  
"Remember--" you try to warn him.  
"I know. 'Don't chase the rabbit'," he adds in a singsong voice. "I got the lecture already."  
"Are you ready?" comes Kotori's voice through the communicator.  
"I'm good to go!"  
"Yeah I'm clear," Vector confirms.  
The countdown starts, and the suit's implants connect to your nervous system.  
\--and you're not yourself anymore.  
It's a rush of memory and nostalgia, lost warmth that almost makes you cry, but Vector's rushing thoughts and life thundering into you keeps you anchored, like a constant slap to the face. You sink, a mess of--your parents, your sister, when they were still alive--a man shouting--Astral's arms around your waist--the taste of homemade rice balls, somehow both tuna and shrimp--running fingers over jewelry--Kaito's first attempts at dancing--a woman who looks like Kamishiro, giving orders from a wheelchair--and you gasp as Vector's thoughts settle in your body, finally almost stable, his vicious excitement seeping into you.  
You're not sure whether to laugh or cry. You might be doing a bit of both.  
"Handshake complete!" Kotori calls, relief evident in her voice.  
There are still whisps of memory flying around your linked minds, voices from times long gone, so you laugh it off and call back to her.  
"See? I told you we could do it."  
You can hear her huff even through the communicator.  
"Yuuma, for the last time--"  
_**I'm sorry!**_  
The voice in your mind is young and panicked and you can't hear her anymore.  
_**I'm sorry, I won't do it anymore, I--**  
I'm sorry, Yuuma. Forgive me._  
Astral, through the drift, now, and he's too satisfied to be sorry, you need to stop him, you--  
Pain hits you and you wrench yourself out of the memory, pushing away both the crying curled up child and Astral's ghost, and you gasp, blinking tears away.  
"Fuck--Vector, I'm sorry, I--"  
He doesn't hear you anymore.

The streets are full of people and screams, and the red haired child is walking against the current.  
You're both him and watching him, somehow, incorporeal and yet feeling the push of bodies against his skin, the fear, the _guilt_.  
" _Mom_ ," the voice that isn't yours screams, and it hurts, but he keeps going, through, out of the crowd, running at full stumbling speed towards the sounds of destruction.  
You know that guilt all too well. You want to scream at him, to tell him that it's all right, that he has the right to save himself before others, that it's not his _fault_ , but he can't hear you, and sucked as you are into his rabbit hole, all you can do is watch, sick to your stomach with your own past and emotions not entirely your own, as he works his way through emptying streets, to a house you already know won't be there anymore.  
More and more rubble, and he's crying now, running in the Kaiju's wake, his teeth clenched with more anger than fear. The area's been levelled, almost, and from the noise, the only thing hiding the Kaiju from view are the nearby towers and the mess of concrete dust in the air, stinging his eyes.  
Nearby, there's a child crying.  
He stops. The ground is still trembling--(is it coming back?)--but his ears are sharp, and he _knows_ this area, can walk even its rubble by heart. He turns a corner, listens again, ducks behind a wall.  
A little boy, still clutching his Jaeger toy to his chest, curled up in the corner between two destroyed walls.  
"Hey," Vector calls.  
The boy hides his face in his arms further.  
"You can't stay here," he tries again, nervously looking around. "It might come back." Still no answer. "Come on... there's a shelter nearby, if we reach the subway entrance..."  
He grabs the boy's arm, and the boy screams.  
The sound rings through the air and reverberates against nearby buildings, and it can't have actually heard him, he knows it can't, not with its own noise, but there's cold dread washing through him and _he has to move_.  
"Come on," he hisses, and drags the kid out, pulling him towards the main street, and thanking whatever god is listening when the kid finally snaps out of his daze and follows him.  
The ground trembles.  
Do Kaiju hear ultrasounds? Can they hear what humans can't? Why would it even come back for _one_ scream when there are thousands ahead--  
A roar.  
He whines under his breath and tries to run faster, but the boy's shorter legs can't keep up with him.  
100m until the shelter.  
The top of a nearby building explodes in a mess of glass and concrete and flies over their heads, crashing into the street several hundred meters away. Vector screams, pulls the smaller boy faster, all but carrying him at the end of his arm, throws himself against the shelter door as the Kaiju's steps come closer.  
It's locked.  
" _Let us in!!!_ " he screams, scraping at the door.  
No answer.  
Behind them, the Kaiju comes into view.  
Ten seconds and the door isn't opening.  
Twenty.  
The boy's crying again.  
Fuelled by rage and fear and a last desperate urge to protect, he throws the kid against the corner between door and wall, hidden from view, and runs out.  
Behind him, the Kaiju roars, and the steps come faster.  
_Can you outrun a Kaiju?  
Better find out._  
He's crying and stumbling but he can't scream anymore, not with the pain and dust in his throat, not with the Kaiju behind him, and it's not like it'll win him much time not to anyway, he can scream when it catches up to him, when it tears him apart--  
A ray of light erupts above his head and explodes behind him.  
The shock sends him flying forward, rolling up just on time to slam against a wall. He blinks the impact out of his eyes. Looks up.  
_Jaeger._  
It's the Unlucky Seven, you recognise it instantly, but he starts crying, laughter and pain and disbelief, so small in the battle of giant knight and monster. Another ray comes out of the Jaeger's gun, and the Kaiju roars in pain.

The handshake cuts, the link forcibly broken, and you stumble as your brain comes back to reality.  
Next to you, Vector falls.

When you finally find him again, hours later, your ears are still ringing from Kamishiro's angry ranting.  
He's sitting on the edge of a platform, out of the way of almost everybody and out of sight unless you know where to look for him (and the fact that you found him at all makes you think that this experiment wasn't so much of a failure after all), legs dangling off the edge with the railing's support between them, looking at the Emperor down below.  
He doesn't turn to look at you.  
"Sorry," you say as you slip next to him, settling down cross-legged just far enough not to touch him. "It was my fault. I tried to tell him, but..." You shrug, a mixture of derision and vague, temporary surrender. You'll get him to listen, eventually.  
Maybe.  
"Or maybe he was just right from the beginning. I'm too much of a fucking hazard." He snorts angrily. "So much for not being useless for once."  
"Yeah, because you getting dragged by _my_ flashback was totally your fault." You roll your eyes. "... I think he knows it, too. He was just mad cause he worried about you. ... and the base, I guess," you add with an affected pout.  
There's a snort again, but it's less angry this time. One point for Yuuma!  
"That guy wouldn't know his own feelings if they slapped him in the face." He sighs, finally tilts his head slightly in your direction. "Did he scream at you?"  
"You have no idea." You chuckle. "It was almost nostalgic, really."  
A snicker.  
"Don't tell me you _missed_ it. I knew you were a masochist, but I didn't think _anyone_ would be that bad."  
"Hey!"  
He smirks, but it's playful, not cold, and with the last echoes of the drift still in you, that viciousness of his feels safe.  
"... he cares about you too, you know?" he says out of nowhere, looking back down at the base sprawling underneath. "He'd always end up talking about you two. Said _you_ would give him grey hair, in particular." You laugh awkwardly, but he continues before you can answer. "He knew the entire thing was fucked up... but he said something that one time."  
You wait for him to continue, until you realise he won't unless you ask.  
"What?"  
"That picking orphans was messed up to begin with... but you gave him hope some of you would at least find some happiness in it."  
He falls silent, and doesn't push when you shift and hug your knees, hiding your face in them.  
"... funny how that turned out, huh?" you finally murmur, turning your head just enough to look at him.  
The side of his face twitches a little.  
"... I'm sorry, by the way."  
"Huh?"  
"For what I said the other day. I didn't realise--" He grimaces again and falls silent.  
Of course. There was no way you could have hidden the bloody, shredded feeling of amputation when Astral was torn away from you.  
"... it's different when you feel it, huh?"  
"Why did you do it?"  
"Huh?"  
"Me. This. Coming back. I know he's a pain, but--" he shakes his head. "... how do you even trust anyone in your head again after that?"  
You take your time to answer, and to his credit, he lets you.  
"... you know, for a while, I didn't want to live. He was--a part of me. Living felt like crawling around with my arms and legs torn off." You shake your head. "That's what they raised us for, of course. But it was more than that. We really _clicked_ ; you looked at other pairs, and yeah they were close, yeah they trusted each other, yeah they could move perfectly together even blindfolded, but... it was different. Probably why they sent us out first." You remember that first fight, the adrenaline, the shiver of your minds melded, weaved together, of your bodies and the Jaeger moving as one. Almost like a dance, you and him and the Kaiju trying to kill you, and the absolute trust you had that neither of you would let it happen. "And then he died, and I already felt half dead, and suddenly they were spitting on everything we were. Too emotional. Too personal. Too devoted, not _obedient_ enough. For six years, they told us our bond was everything, and then when I lost it they tore away what was left and treated it like it was worthless." You look down into the void under you. "... I hated them. And since we were so _worthless_ to them, it didn't matter if I died and joined him, right? Even if he'd left me behind. At least I was worth _something_ to him. I could just... let go of everything, since it didn't matter what I did."  
You fall silent, and although you can sense him looking at you, he doesn't push.  
"... but you know," you finally continue, "that wouldn't have been fair. Because it's not about me. There's billions of people out there, trying to live. And yeah sure, maybe some of them would just lie down and let themselves die. Some of them would betray others. But there's some who'll fight. Who'll try to help however they can. There's kids who've lost everything and still fight to live on, and _they_ didn't get handed a Jaeger and a partner to make them feel like they were everything. What right did I have to give up?" You chuckle. "It's the kids who saved me at first. I thought, if I can make them feel even a little safe, if I can make them feel like life's worth the struggle, then it won't be useless. But really... I was just hiding. It's not just about surviving." You look at him again, smile slightly. "If I can't _trust_ people... it's just like being dead. I won't get better unless I open up. And we won't win unless we fight with all we have. So holding back... what's the point of that? If I get hurt, I get hurt. Won't be the first time anyway. But if I want to really live, I have to believe in people. In humanity. I have to believe we can _win_."  
His eyes are caught somewhere between awe and suspicion, and the picture is just too funny for you to stay serious. You elbow him gently.  
"Besides, look, I was totally right. We _are_ drift compatible. But I knew it wouldn't work if _you_ had to trust me first. So might as well try this way, right?"  
He glares and slaps your arm away.  
"Fuck you."  
He looks so genuinely, innocently outraged that you end up laughing despite yourself. It's a cute expression on his face. Refreshing.  
There's your hope.  
"... god you're really a handful," he finally huffs. "How are you older than me?"  
"A good night's sleep and a healthy lunch is the secret to my youth!"  
He shoves your shoulder and you beam back at him.  
"... just don't trust the wrong people too much. You're lucky I don't have the heart to break you."  
"If I do, I can count on you to come save me, right?"  
"No way in hell." He rolls his eyes, then quiets down. "... you wanna know the reason _I_ 'm alive? Because my father was a fucking asshole."  
You tilt your head to the side as a nudge to go on.  
"I ran away from home that day. Figured if I was gonna get hit, might as well get hit for something worth it, not just for existing. So I snuck out. Thought I'd go watch other kids play at the arcade. Or find a pet shop." He smirks. " _Some_ pet I found."  
"... your parents didn't get evacuated?"  
"They probably tried. But we never found them. So I stayed with Ryouga and Rio."  
"... I'm sorry."  
"Don't be. Honestly? It was a relief. Kind of wish my mom had made it, but..." he shrugs. "I'm not that surprised she didn't. She'd never managed to save herself before then. Or me."  
"Vector--"  
Around you, red lights explode into life as the siren rings.

By the time you reach the communication room, the countdown to Alit and Gilag's launch has already started.  
"I'm not sure this even counts as category four anymore," Chris murmurs with a frown as Kotori calls out the signal for their handshake to initiate. "The shape is different from all the ones we've encountered so far."  
"Different how?" you ask him.  
"Too many limbs. If you only count the main body, sure, but..."  
"When you say 'too many limbs' do you mean spider or octopus because those are two very different things."  
"Tsukumo! Arclight!" Kamishiro snaps.  
"Sorry sir!"  
The aircrafts carrying Barian Punch lift it into the sky, and you're left waiting for the first visual.

It comes faster than anyone would like.  
A long trip from the breach to land means more time for evacuations. This one doesn't even take fifteen minutes.  
And it takes ten seconds to answer your earlier question.  
"Who the fuck dropped a hentai magazine into the breach," Vector hisses next to you.  
You brace for another shout from Kamishiro, but it's Kaito who answers instead.  
"You might not be that far off. They're learning from us."  
"I thought that meant tactics!"  
"Their shape too. They're taking inspiration both from our Jaegers and our fauna. We need to stop them in their tracks at all costs."  
You bring your eyes back to the screen with a growing sense of dread.  
"You guys be careful, okay?" Kotori calls into her microphone. "Its movements are off. It's like it's trying to bait you."  
"Don't worry, my angel," Alit's voice comes through the speakers, causing the half of the room not too tense with stress to roll their eyes, "I'll make sushi out of this guy."  
"No heroics," she chides back. "Kill it at a distance if you can."  
"Yes Ma'am! Hey Gilag, you heard this? Ready to shoot in three... two... one..."  
The rockets fly forward and crash into the Kaiju in a sea of smoke and foam.  
"Let's go! Time to finish him off--" The feed crackles for a second before Alit's voices comes back. "... fuck. FUCK!"  
"What's wrong?" Kamishiro asks, grabbing the microphone from Kotori's hand.  
"A force field. It has a _fucking force field_. The rockets didn't even _touch_ it!"  
"Try to engage it directly! It might need to lower it to attack."  
"I'm _trying_!"  
Next to you, Kaito clicks his tongue angrily. Chris rests a calming hand on his shoulder, to almost no avail.  
You're starting to feel sick.  
It's too much like last time, the sudden rise in enemy strategy, the unknown anatomy and moves.  
You're not letting it happen again.  
"I can't touch it!" Alit grits through the radio again, Gilag's angry shout almost covering him. "Those tentacles are too fast, I can't get close enough to punch it and we can't get a shot!"  
You take a deep breath and step forward.  
"Maybe the Hope Ray can get through."  
Kamishiro turns towards you.  
"What?"  
"It's high energy, right? Maybe it can disrupt the field or cut through."  
"What's Hope Ray?" Vector asks, walking up to your side.  
"One of the Emperor's weapons. It's--" you try to remember the actual scientific explanation you'd been given years ago, and decide it's not worth the trouble on such a short schedule. "It's a lazer sword basically. They didn't take it out when they renovated it, right? Kaito?"  
"It's still there." He looks at you for a second, then at Kamishiro. "... it might work. I can't guarantee it, but it's our best chance."  
Kamishiro snarls.  
" _Fine._ "  
"Major?" Alit's voice calls again.  
"You two keep it away from the coast. Keep it busy, keep it distracted. We're sending backup."  
"Got it!"  
Kamishiro turns towards you.  
" _You_ two. Come with me."

He drags you through the door as the preparations for launch start.  
"We don't have time to waste," he says, keeping his eyes on Vector. "We obviously don't have time to try with anyone else, but after today... Vector, if you're not up to it, I can go with him. I want a yes or no answer, I want it now, and I want a yes _only_ if you're one hundred percent sure. If you can't drift properly, we'll risk losing the Punch, its pilots, _and_ even the two of you."  
"I'm ready."  
"Good. I'll-" He stops. "What?"  
"I said I'm ready. I'll go."  
"... Vector, are you sure?"  
He smirks.  
"You asked twice already. If you didn't want me to, you shouldn't have given me a choice." His face grows a bit more serious. "Besides, they need you here. Everyone panics when you're not around."  
Kamishiro stays silent for a second, then shakes himself into action and turns to you.  
"Yuuma--"  
"I'll take care of him. Don't worry."  
He snorts.  
"I'm not sure _which_ one of you needs protection, and I'm starting to think it's from each other. Fine. Go get suited up. Launch in five minutes."  
He strides back into the comm room, and you grin at Vector before grabbing his hand and pulling him down the corridor to the launching platform.

"Are you ready?"  
"Good to go!"  
"Initiating neural handshake in ten... nine..."  
Vector takes a deep breath and looks towards you, eyebrows raised.  
"... 'Hope Ray'?"  
"Seven... six..."  
You grin.  
"I named it myself!"  
"... I see."  
"Three... two... one... go!"  
The world dissolves.  
This time, when you slip inside each other's minds, it's more like floating down, holding each other's hand as the storm rages around you.  
All your feelings are there. The distant past, but the not so distant, too, the pain, the love, the emptiness, the warm feeling of home that you'd been keeping from yourself all this time because you didn't want to think about losing it. It's there, around you, heavy with finality, but it's you who feels light, sinking in the space between Vector's mind and your own.  
And there he is, too, bitterness and defiance and grudging, shy hope, all the people he's studied and never gotten close to, and the couple who actually know him. You let yourself fall into the craddle of his mind, and feel it twitch in a mixture of affection and irritation.  
_Putting all the pressure on me, are you?  
You know I'm the one they'll blame if we mess up. And we won't.  
Optimistic idiot. Let's do this._  
You open your eyes, raise your arm, and feel him moving with you.  
"Aspiring Emperor, launch!"

It only takes a few minutes to reach the battle, but you're both aware that's not exactly good news. It means it's gotten closer to the coast.  
"Kotori! How're Alit and Gilag doing?"  
"They're holding on, but barely. I'll link you in a sec."  
Alit's voice explodes into your helmet just as you catch sight of the fight.  
"We're out of rockets!"  
"We're here!" you call back, right as Vector huffs "why are you even _using_ rockets?"  
"Those tentacles are _brutal_ , man, we can't take it at close range. How else d'you want us to hold it off?"  
"Keep it distracted," Vector continues as if Alit hadn't said anything, "we'll take it from behind."  
"Easy for _you_ to s--Yuuma! It saw you!"  
"I know!" you call back, soothing Vector's mild irritation at being ignored and dropping with him into a fighting stance. "We'll handle it!"  
No matter how much you expected it, nothing quite prepares you for the speed at which the tentacles shoot out, making a straight dash for your helmet. You dodge, thanking the slowed world the drift brings you for the fraction of second that allows you to duck forward, letting it strike above you. Before it can pull back, you stand back up, grab the tentacle under your arm, and twist.  
It's only when you feel it pulling you closer that you realise your mistake.  
_**Too** smooth, Yuuma.  
Sorry!  
I'll take care of it._  
Your bodies relax and let it pull you in, the Jaeger's armour creaking slightly at the pressure. You leave your reflexes into Vector's hold, wait for the Kaiju's body to be within range, and let him strike out with a spinning kick right into what _seems_ to be its face.  
The pressure falters, and you use the momentum to give a second kick and push yourself away.  
_**Fuck** did that feel good._  
"Alit!"  
"On it!"  
On the Kaiju's other side, Barian Punch launches itself at the Kaiju's body, locking some of its tentacles into place.  
Vector lets out a triumphant huff and launches you at it.  
Only to ram into its renewed forcefield.  
_Fuck!_  
The impact trips you backward, and you have to flail and crouch to get your balance back.  
Through your communicator, you hear Alit and Gilag scream.  
"Alit! Gilag!"  
"The--field--" you hear Alit choke, your panic barely contained by Vector's blanketing cold anger, "it's--"  
Barian Punch groans and starts dislocating, trapped between field and tentacles, and the feed cuts off.  
Before you can scream their names again, Vector calls out yours in alarm, and you look up just on time for two newly freed tentacles lashing out at you and wrapping themselves around your Jaeger's limbs.  
You're pulled up, restrained, and in your peripheric vision you can barely make out Barian Punch falling into the water, finally freed from the creature's crushing grip. The Kaiju roars.  
In your mind, Vector's heart skips a beat.  
_Vector!_  
He doesn't call back, his mind and senses caught in a feedback loop of utter panic, and for a moment you think you've _lost_ him, that he's going to slip out of your reach.  
_Vector! Trust me!_  
There's a shudder, a ripple, something like the brush of fingers against fingers, and you feel him locking himself out of part of his own consciousness, handing you control of his body and reflexes.  
You take them in your strongest grip, and wait for the Kaiju to pull you in, both your bodies pliant and ready to strike.  
_I promised._  
With a screech, the Kaiju drags you close, keeping your legs immobilised.  
Instead, you combine his plan and yours, and wait for the last second to punch the button activating the Ray with all of your strength.

The light erupting from your arms almost blinds you as it cuts through the smoke still hanging in the air. Too late, the Kaiju lets go, but you're already falling forward against it, sinking the blades into its body.  
The screech it lets out almost makes your ears bleed. You scream back and attack again, severing one of its limbs and drenching the Emperor's arm in Kaiju blue.  
A tentacle lashes out and catches you in the stomach, sending you back. By the time you blink sight back into your eyes, its field has gone back up, the other side sprayed in blue.  
You don't have time for this. Alit and Gilag could be _dying_ , you need to get them out--  
Through the fog of both your fears, Vector's mind reaches for your own.  
_Push through. We're almost **done** , Yuuma. Give that bastard what he deserves._  
It's both your feet that run forward, both your hands that cross in front of your body and lunge, striking the shield and grinding down in a shower of heat and light.  
You think the metal of your hands is starting to melt.  
_Harder!_  
You feed yourself on his rage and push forward again, and the Kaiju wails, its tentacles collapsing along with its field, spreading in the ocean like so much seaweed.  
_... it's dead...  
Let's make fucking **sure**._  
You drive your sword through it again.

"Buuuuuut, Kotoriiiiiiiiii!"  
"If you have this much energy, spend it on getting back on your feet," Kotori huffs, pulling back from Alit's hospital bed.  
"So cruel," Alit sniffs. "What about _you_ , Yuuma? Won't _you_ kiss it all better?"  
"I--uh--"  
"Want me to finish the Kaiju's shitty job?" Vector calls out from his spot against the wall.  
"Wow, no need to get all jealous. It's a friendly gesture. As _comrades_. And how did someone like _you_ get to pilot with an angel like Yuuma?"  
"You know what? I have no idea either. Ask _him_."  
"Guys..."  
"Will you all QUIET DOWN?"  
You jump at Gilag's roar and turn to apologise, rubbing the back of your head. In your peripheral vision, Vector shrugs in a 'wasn't me!' gesture.  
"Sorry! --I'll come back later. You all get rest, yeah?"  
And you flee the room, Alit's "but what about my kiss?" barely reaching your ears.

Vector catches up to you two corridors later, when you're leaning against the wall to brace yourself against the overwhelming _normalcy_ of everything.  
It's like the two last years never existed, except they did, and you might not feel as invincible as you did then, but somehow you feel stronger now.  
It's a strange feeling.  
There's no comforting hug from Vector, no "are you all right," but he silently and casually waits for you to calm down and look up at him again, and that works too.  
"You know," he goes on as if nothing had happened when you finally push yourself off the wall, "he's not the only one to act like we're married. I got a call from Rio last night."  
"Huh?"  
"Something about 'wanting to meet the kid who's got my stupid brother and foster son so worked up'."  
"... that sounds kinda scary."  
"You have no idea." He grins. "I'd offer to _protect_ you, but against Rio? You're on your own."  
"Wow, thanks," you laugh.  
"So where were you going anyway? Or are you just too scared of a guy with a sea of plaster on his leg?"  
"I'm going to see Haruto."  
"Haruto? Not Kaito?"  
"Well, Kaito if he's there, but... I wanted to thank him. And I think he could use a friend."  
Vector looks at you with lowered eyelids and raised eyebrows, and you're almost back to being as flustered as you were on your first meeting when he shrugs and walks ahead.  
"Where are you going?"  
"With you, of course. Can't leave you alone with Kaito."  
You laugh and catch up to him, sliding your hand into his.

He huffs, but doesn't let go.

**Author's Note:**

> If you were wondering, yes, the plot continues, though it takes a slightly different course due to Ryouga being more of a rebel. But that would have taken like three times the length.
> 
> Not pictured: Haruto drifting with a baby Kaiju behind Kaito's back and kickstarting the rest of the plot.


End file.
